Review: Long Night Moon by S.M. Reine

Title: Long Moon Summer
Author: S.M. Reine
Publisher: Red Idris Books
Publish date: March 2, 2012
Genre: YA, paranormal
Source: From author for review
Series: Seasons of the Moon #3
1. Six Moon Summer (review)
2. All Hallows' Moon (review)
3. Long Night Moon
4. Gray Moon Rising (expected pub Summer 2012)

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

Synopsis:
Something is killing innocent people around Rylie Gresham's town. The police think it's a wild animal, but she has other suspicions. There are new kids at school, and they have a lot in common with her: gold eyes, super strength, and a habit of turning furry. It seems Rylie's not the only werewolf around anymore.

It's up to Rylie and her werewolf-hunting boyfriend, Seth, to stop the killings. But saving lives doesn't come naturally to a monster, and territory battles could risk the life of her sickly aunt--not to mention her own. Rylie has no choice but to stand her ground, protect her home, and stop the murderers before anyone else gets hurt.

From Goodreads

Oh my goodness, the end of this one hurt my heart. I know that starting a review by talking about the ending is poor form, but, man, it made me sad! I’m so glad the next book is coming out this summer! No crazy year-long wait for the next one. Definitely a bonus of self-pubbed books.

Sara is one of my favourite self-published authors, and her take on werewolves is at the top of my list. One of my favourite things about her writing is how she describes the change from human to werewolf. Not only that, but even how she puts so much detail into the feelings inside Riley; how she can feel the werewolf stir inside of her based on the situation. Sara’s definitely a talented writer: she doesn’t just write these graphic scenes well, but she also puts so much emotion into her stories. In all of her books I’ve read, I always find myself feeling what the characters feel, and having an emotional connection to each of them. To me, that’s a good indicator of her abilities as a writer.

We saw more of Abel in this book. We got to know him a bit better as a person and he actually showed some emotion. Seth was a mixture of so many thoughts and worries that it made me sad and tired just thinking about what he had to shoulder. Then there were the new characters: Bekah and her brother, Levi, and Scott Whyte. I won’t say much about them (spoilers!), but lets just say they’re at the core of the issues in this book.

I already mentioned how the ending hurt my heart. The whole story was an emotional roller coaster ride. People dying, Riley forgetting things and sleeping too much, Abel acting strange and territorial, Aunt Gwyn getting sicker, Seth stuck between his feelings and his duty . . . I think this book was the most emotional out of them all, and I think it may be my favourite in the series, so far. I know that I’ll be holding my breath until the final book in the series, Gray Moon Rising, comes out in the summer!